| Junior Devin Gibson poured in a game-high 24 points on Wednesday night. |
SAN ANTONIO — Junior Devin Gibson and freshman Melvin Johnson III combined for 43 points and UTSA used a 62-point second-half outburst to run past East Central, 103-80, on Wednesday night at the Convocation Center.
Gibson drained four 3-pointers and was a perfect 8-of-8 from the free throw line en route to scoring a game-high 24 points, while Johnson III connected five times from behind the arc in tallying 19 to help the Roadrunners run their record to 2-0 on the season and improve to 25-4 all-time in home openers with their ninth consecutive non-conference victory.
UTSA had five players in double figures for the second straight game, as senior Terry Fields was 6-for-8 from the floor in scoring 13, while seniors Omar Johnson and Morris Smith IV posted 11 points apiece.
The Roadrunners dominated the glass, outrebounding the Tigers, 52-25, including 20 offensive boards. Senior Demarco Stepter pulled down a game-best nine rebounds to go along with eight points, while Fields and Smith grabbed eight and seven, respectively.
UTSA used a 21-10 run at the start of the second half to break the game open. Senior Josh Bonney and Gibson, whose four treys matched his career high set in the 2009 Southland Tournament Championship loss to Stephen F. Austin, accounted for five points each in the stretch that increased the Roadrunners’ lead from 41-34 at the break to 62-44 at the 15:17 mark.
East Central cut into a 69-50 deficit with a 12-3 run capped by a pair of free throws from Bobby McAdoo that made it 72-62 at the midway point of the half.
UTSA responded and rolled from there, building the lead to 23 in the final minutes in topping 100 points for the second straight game against the Tigers and 43rd time overall (37-6 record).
The Roadrunners shot 54.5 percent in the second half and 48.5 percent (33-68) for the game, including 42.9 percent (12-28) from downtown.
Eric Allen and Denarius Darby scored 17 apiece to lead East Central, which counted the game as an exhibition. Wes Badley added 16 and Wayne Andrews tallied 12 for the Tigers, who shot 48.4 percent (30-62) from the floor.
The Roadrunners built a 10-point lead midway through the first half after Gibson drained a long three from the left wing at the 11:45 mark to make it 27-17.
The Tigers clawed back to make things interesting, eventually tying the score at 30-all on a Badley jumper with just under six minutes left in the half. UTSA closed the stanza on an 11-4 run and took a seven-point advantage into the locker room.
The Roadrunners hit the road again next week for the O’Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic Richmond (Ky.) Subregional. UTSA will face UC Irvine at 7 p.m. (CT) Monday, Nov. 23, Fairleigh Dickinson at 7 p.m. Tuesday, and Eastern Kentucky at 5 p.m. Wednesday.